Comment: Steven Gerrard a bold and potentially exciting choice for ambitious Aston Villa

Not since Gerard Houllier succeeded Martin O’Neill in 2010 has a new arrival been tasked with building on a period of relative success.

Supporters might have been split over the decision to sack Dean Smith but even the former head coach’s fiercest critics could not ignore the considerable progress made during his three-year reign.

Gerrard, according to Villa chief executive Christian Purslow, has been identified as the man who can lead the club into “the next phase” of their “ambitious plans”.

Well, OK. Firstly, Gerrard needs to be the man who gets early results to ease Villa away from the immediate threat of a relegation battle. The forthcoming fixture list won’t make that easy. After a home match with Brighton and a trip to Crystal Palace comes Manchester City, Leicester and Liverpool. Very quickly, we will learn just how good this Villa squad really is.

Early wins will help Gerrard build a connection with a fanbase which, in the main, is more intrigued than excited by his appointment. Some of that is undoubtedly down to Smith’s popularity and the trauma of losing a manager with whom they held such a strong emotional attachment.

For all that Villa’s hierarchy claim to have carried out a thorough process, Gerrard was always the clear frontrunner and should the team struggle, the accusation Purslow simply appointed his friend will quickly surface. That isn’t Gerrard’s fault but no matter how unfair, it is the perception among some supporters and it would be wrong to pretend otherwise.

Of greater importance is how Gerrard answers the inevitable Liverpool question. In recent days, Villa supporters have heard their club continually described as the ideal “stepping stone” toward his dream of one day managing the Reds.

Though even the most diehard Villa fan would admit Liverpool are the bigger establishment, they do not want their manager to think that, let alone say it. Houllier never recovered from the “love-in” which took place while Villa were beaten 3-0 at Anfield during his reign.

Gerrard appears too savvy to fall into that trap but how he responds to the question, which will certainly come his way when he faces the press for the first time as Villa boss next week, will be an important first step in establishing credibility with the fanbase. He might be advised to not talk about Liverpool at all, though that will be easier said than done, considering Villa face his former club just three weeks from now.

Results, of course, are always the quickest way to win round any doubters. The reality is wherever Gerrard’s long-term ambitions may lie he must first be a success at Villa and he will quickly realise, if he hasn’t already, the potential of his new club is considerable.

In Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens they have billionaire owners with big ambitions and deep pockets, who will be prepared to back their new man in the transfer market.

Their heavy investment in the club’s academy is already reaping dividends. For all that the early weeks in the job could be tough for Gerrard, if he gets it right at Villa the possibilities are endless. There arguably isn’t a more attractive post outside the established “big six”.

Gerrard will arrive no doubt hungry to prove himself in the Premier League. For all that his work at Rangers was impressive, he knows there will still be question marks over his ability. In managerial terms, he is still a relative novice.

That said, his efforts at Ibrox are worthy of closer consideration. When Gerrard joined Rangers in March 2018 they were in disarray, dumped out of the Europa League earlier that season by Luxembourg minnows Progres Niederkorn.

With very little investment, he rebuilt the team over the course of the next two seasons, restoring hope and belief similar to the manner Smith recently did at Villa.

Last season Rangers won the league without losing a match while conceding just 13 goals. Whatever skepticism might exist over the standard of Scottish football, those are eye-catching statistics. Notable Europa League results against the likes of Galatasaray, Benfica and Feyenoord will also have caught the eye of Villa’s hierarchy.

Not only has he proven capable of building a winning team, he has no shortage of big game experience.

Neither should the pressure of his new club prove an issue for Gerrard, who is bringing along Houllier’s former Villa assistant Gary McAllister as part of his backroom team. True, the weekly challenge of getting results in the Premier League might be tougher but the expectations are not quite so extreme as north of the border, where Rangers supporters demand victory, no matter the opponent.

“If they were playing Real Madrid on Saturday, Rangers fans would expect to win, that’s just the way it is up here,” explained one Glasgow-based contact this week.

Even at England’s largest clubs, meanwhile, media scrutiny is not nearly so extreme as it is around the Old Firm.

Villa is a big job, Gerrard a huge name and there will be plenty of interest in his progress. But in terms of getting on with the task in hand, he will not endure the endless focus reserved for Glasgow’s goldfish bowl.

Unquestionably there is plenty of hard work ahead and things won’t always run smoothly, they never do. But if Villa and Purslow are right about Gerrard, this could be the start of something very special.